that I should be horrified but I didn’t actually feel that horror.”
“That is part of the changes that you underwent. You see people as little more than walking bags of blood, food for when you are hungry or tools to use when you need something. When you see people as nothing more than food, the idea of taking control of them and doing whatever you want isn’t repulsive. It’s just part of the natural order. Vampires are arrogant.”
“So I have a parasite in me?” I asked, “That is making these changes?”
“Yes, I am afraid so.”
“Then he could be cured of it right? I mean, if it’s a parasite then they must be a way to get rid of it.” Beth said.
“No, it is more of a supernatural parasite than anything physical.” Anna said, “If you ever went to a doctor they would find nothing inside of you that could be responsible for the change.”
“What does it want?” I asked.
“It wants to survive. It feeds off you; it remains alive as long as you do, so it alters you. It changes your body and your mind but that requires energy, a great deal of it. Blood is that energy source.” Anna looked directly at me with an intensity that I found unsettling.
“Every second of the day, the parasite is using its energy to keep you alive. To stop you ageing, to heal your wounds. When that energy gets low, you will feel the thirst and you will drink. The more damage you do to your body, the more energy the parasite uses to repair it, the more blood you will need. Do you understand?”
“Yeah, I think so.” I said.
“Then why did he have to kill someone?” Beth asked quietly with an apologetic glance towards me.
“The amount of energy required to make that first connection and those first changes is phenomenal. You could have taken a smaller amount of blood from a dozen people but the change is so urgent, the need puts you into a frenzy and you take all that you need at once.” Anna said sadly.
“So why am I not like the others?” I asked. “I don’t feel a need to compel anyone, I don’t feel a need to kill anyone or control them. Why am I different?”
“You are not that different. The changes are there and in time you will likely grow to be as arrogant and hungry for power as the rest of your brethren. You were an accident though, you were not chosen like the others would have been.”
“What do you mean?”
“If a Vampire is going to sire another, there is a cost. To create a new Vampire you lose part of your parasite. That small part goes into your chosen human and grows into a full parasite. Your parasite is still diminished though and with it, your strength and speed of healing. If you healed fully in ten seconds before then after siring a Vampire, you would only heal fully in nine seconds.”
“Really?”
“Yes. To make you a Vampire, Sebastian made himself weaker. That is also why he can compel you; his parasite is still connected to the newborn one within you.”
“What would happen if you made a dozen new Vampires?” Beth asked.
“Then the Vampire who did that would be little more than a human and easy to kill.” Anna said, “Which brings us back to choosing.”
“If you are going to make yourself weaker, you chose someone who has attributes that will help you. You chose the competitive human, the one who wants to be the best, the richest or the most powerful. You want someone who is basically a bastard, so that when they are a Vampire they are a super bastard and you keep them close.” Anna said with a slight smile.
“Yeah, well no one ever claimed that Ray had too much drive and ambition” Beth said with a low laugh.
“So it would seem. Which makes it surprising that Sebastian chose to make him a Vampire.” Anna said. “No, Sebastian has his own reasons for doing this and I am concerned as to what they are.”
“Why are you concerned? You work for him don’t you?” I asked.
“No. I do not work for him.” Anna said slowly, anger laced her voice. “We
“That is part of the changes that you underwent. You see people as little more than walking bags of blood, food for when you are hungry or tools to use when you need something. When you see people as nothing more than food, the idea of taking control of them and doing whatever you want isn’t repulsive. It’s just part of the natural order. Vampires are arrogant.”
“So I have a parasite in me?” I asked, “That is making these changes?”
“Yes, I am afraid so.”
“Then he could be cured of it right? I mean, if it’s a parasite then they must be a way to get rid of it.” Beth said.
“No, it is more of a supernatural parasite than anything physical.” Anna said, “If you ever went to a doctor they would find nothing inside of you that could be responsible for the change.”
“What does it want?” I asked.
“It wants to survive. It feeds off you; it remains alive as long as you do, so it alters you. It changes your body and your mind but that requires energy, a great deal of it. Blood is that energy source.” Anna looked directly at me with an intensity that I found unsettling.
“Every second of the day, the parasite is using its energy to keep you alive. To stop you ageing, to heal your wounds. When that energy gets low, you will feel the thirst and you will drink. The more damage you do to your body, the more energy the parasite uses to repair it, the more blood you will need. Do you understand?”
“Yeah, I think so.” I said.
“Then why did he have to kill someone?” Beth asked quietly with an apologetic glance towards me.
“The amount of energy required to make that first connection and those first changes is phenomenal. You could have taken a smaller amount of blood from a dozen people but the change is so urgent, the need puts you into a frenzy and you take all that you need at once.” Anna said sadly.
“So why am I not like the others?” I asked. “I don’t feel a need to compel anyone, I don’t feel a need to kill anyone or control them. Why am I different?”
“You are not that different. The changes are there and in time you will likely grow to be as arrogant and hungry for power as the rest of your brethren. You were an accident though, you were not chosen like the others would have been.”
“What do you mean?”
“If a Vampire is going to sire another, there is a cost. To create a new Vampire you lose part of your parasite. That small part goes into your chosen human and grows into a full parasite. Your parasite is still diminished though and with it, your strength and speed of healing. If you healed fully in ten seconds before then after siring a Vampire, you would only heal fully in nine seconds.”
“Really?”
“Yes. To make you a Vampire, Sebastian made himself weaker. That is also why he can compel you; his parasite is still connected to the newborn one within you.”
“What would happen if you made a dozen new Vampires?” Beth asked.
“Then the Vampire who did that would be little more than a human and easy to kill.” Anna said, “Which brings us back to choosing.”
“If you are going to make yourself weaker, you chose someone who has attributes that will help you. You chose the competitive human, the one who wants to be the best, the richest or the most powerful. You want someone who is basically a bastard, so that when they are a Vampire they are a super bastard and you keep them close.” Anna said with a slight smile.
“Yeah, well no one ever claimed that Ray had too much drive and ambition” Beth said with a low laugh.
“So it would seem. Which makes it surprising that Sebastian chose to make him a Vampire.” Anna said. “No, Sebastian has his own reasons for doing this and I am concerned as to what they are.”
“Why are you concerned? You work for him don’t you?” I asked.
“No. I do not work for him.” Anna said slowly, anger laced her voice. “We
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